AsMA/IAAD Meeting 2024

The Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) Meeting was held May 5-9 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago, Ill.  The attendance this year beat all previous records and had over 1600 attendees. The opening ceremony featured one of the few remaining astronauts to walk on the moon, and a retired senator, Dr Harrison Schmidt. His comprehensive discussion about the lunar missions and the current information about our space program drew several comments and questions from the crowd.  On Tuesday the meeting opened with a panel of experts interviewed by our president himself Dr. Joe Dervay. The panel consisted of Former director of Kennedy Space Center Bob Cabana, Former astronaut Joan Higgenbotham, Astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Former flight physician and astronaut Dr Joe Kerwin. The panel was not only very informative but addressed our space programs prior history and delved into where we are headed in the future. 

The International Association of Aerospace Dentistry (IAAD) had their business meeting on Tuesday May 7th and was represented by attendees from Chile, Mexico, and the United States. Our president, Dr. Vivian Vivanco called the meeting to order and addressed the meeting at hand. The discussion addressed the topic of membership dues. A consensus was made to reduce the dues so that all members pay the same annual dues, and the new amount to be effective May 7, 2024. equal to $10.00 US. A vote was taken and all agreed. Once the business at hand was addressed, a short presentation was given to the group by CDE (SD) Carolina Yanez. The presentation covered the services provided in Chile by their medical network, and all members found the presentation very informative. The meeting adjourned at 12:00. We look forward to next year’s meeting.